The Doomed Countess
“Off with her head” may seem funny coming out of the mouth of Alice in Wonderland’s Queen of Hearts. But Margaret Pole—residing in the rather large shadow of King Henry VIII—lived in fear of hearing these very words. Pole spent a lifetime avoiding the executionary habits of a King gone mad. When it was finally her turn to meet the axe, it was a scene more gruesome than any modern-day horror film.
1. She Was Born In A Castle
Margaret Pole was born on August 14, 1473, to the Duke of Clarence—George Plantagenet—and Isabel Neville. The setting of her birth was the lovely Farleigh Castle in Somerset, England. So, why did Margaret get to live in a castle?
Well, it’s probably because her family was swimming in royal blood.
National Portrait Gallery, Wikimedia Commons
2. She Had Royal Blood
On her father’s side, Pole had a duke for a grandfather and two very important uncles. Her uncle Edward IV was the King of England when Margaret was born. And her other uncle Richard III was the one that would eventually replace him. Back then, being so close to royalty could actually end in disaster.
3. She Got Two Brothers
In 1475, Pole’s mother gave birth to a boy. This was Edward. The next year, Mom was pregnant again and gave birth to another son, Richard—each son honoring a powerful uncle. Sons were what royalty usually wanted, so this family was rounding out nicely.
Sadly, there was nothing but heartbreak ahead.
4. She Suffered An Early Loss
Just two and half months after Pole’s mother gave birth to her second son Richard, tragedy struck. She died at the age of 25. This happened quite suddenly, and it made Pole’s father suspicious. In his grief, he looked around for someone to blame. And his eyes landed on one of his wife’s ladies-in-waiting.
5. It Wasn’t Fair
Pole’s father, George, suspected that Isabelle’s lady-in-waiting Ankarette Twynyho had poisoned his wife with a drink. George soon brought Twynyho to trial—and considering his connections to the royal court, there was no chance she would get a fair one. Her execution took place in April 1477.
If you believe in karma, Margaret and her family were about to get theirs.
6. She Lost Another
Margaret Pole had lost her mother, and then another disaster struck. Her youngest brother Richard passed on when he was just two months old. It was now just her, her brother Edward, and her father George.
And now Dad was acting strange.
7. Her Father Was Crazy
With such a series of serious losses, George’s reaction was twisted. First, there was his vendetta against his wife’s lady-in-waiting. Next, he went after his brother—the king. George came up with various ways to plot against King Edward IV.
When Edward got wind of it. Pole’s father was in big trouble.
8. He Risked His Life
When you plot against a king, you risk everything. And that’s exactly what happened. King Edward IV had his own brother executed for treason. Over the course of a year and a half, Margaret Pole had lost her mother, brother and father. Now she and her brother Edward were very much alone.
And her situation was about to get even worse.
Starz, The White Princess (2017)
History's most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily.
9. He Removed Her
When Margaret turned 10, the King of England—her uncle Edward—passed, and his brother Richard III replaced him. Having another uncle on the throne should’ve meant security and comfort for the surviving Plantagenets—but then he betrayed them. One of Richard III's first moves as King was to remove Margaret and her brother from the royal line. They went into the care of one of their aunts.
It seemed like they would go on to live quiet lives, but then something dramatic happened.
Starz, The White Princess (2017)
10. There Was A New King
In 1485, the Battle of Bosworth took place Here, Henry Tudor defeated the king and took both his life and the crown. With Henry Tudor—now Henry VII—as head honcho, Margaret and her brother had very little connection to anyone royal.
Now, they were really in trouble.
Richard Caton Woodville Jr., Wikimedia Commons
11. She Was A Ward
Luckily the new king married Pole’s first cousin, Elizabeth of York, which brought Margaret and her brother closer to royalty. Margaret and her brother lived with the mother of the king as “wards of the crown”. Sounds like a sort of posh orphanage.
But trouble was not far behind.
Starz, The White Princess (2017)
12. He Didn’t Trust Them
Henry VII had not forgotten that Margaret’s father had plotted against a king. He also knew that Margaret and her brother had a more direct connection to the throne than he did. For this reason, King Henry VII did not trust Margaret and her brother, and he was going to deal with them harshly.
Starz, The White Princess (2017)
13. They Sent Him Off
As it turned out, the king was more worried about Margaret’s brother than about her. And the consequences of his paranoia were brutal. To keep an eye on Edward—who was still just 10 years old—they moved him to the Tower of London. This was a place where many saw a violent end.
Starz, The White Princess (2017)
14. She Was Ready
While Edward suffered in prison, Margaret Pole had her own cross to bear. As she became a teenager, people started talking about who she would marry. Of course, this wasn’t about love, this was about politics. And the King had a selfish idea of who Margaret’s husband should be.
Starz, The White Princess (2017)
15. He Had A Secret Agenda
The match that the king had in mind for Margaret was perfect for him, but not so great for Margaret. The king chose his cousin, Richard Pole, who was one of his most loyal servants. And the thing about this marriage is that it served a purpose.
Starz, The White Princess (2017)
16. She Married Down
The king chose his cousin for Margaret because he was lower in the food chain than her. In this way, the king could make her claim to the throne weaker than it was. After the wedding—which the king and queen attended—Margaret went off with her husband to his manor and got ready to live happily ever after.
Unfortunately, married life wasn’t quite all that it was chalked up to be.
Starz, The White Princess (2017)
17. She Did Her Duty
Margaret’s husband Richard did well while the Tudors were in power. And Margaret did her duty as well. Her first two children were boys: Henry in 1492, and Arthur just two years later. As she was tending to her babies, she got some horrible news.
Starz, The White Princess (2017)
18. He Tried To Escape
As Margaret’s family grew, her younger brother was still locked up in the Tower of London. By then, he was a young adult, and he somehow became mixed up in an escape attempt. Well, the prison break was a failure—and Edward would receive a severe punishment.
Starz, The White Princess (2017)
19. She Was The Only One
The royal authorities caught Margaret’s brother trying to escape the Tower of London, and now he and his fellow escapees were standing before the Earl of Oxford awaiting their punishment. The Earl didn’t hold back. They beheaded Edward on Tower Hill. Margaret was the only surviving member of her family.
Starz, The White Princess (2017)
20. She Had Three More
Margaret Pole barely had time to mourn her brother. After all, she still had to make babies. She added three more to her initial two. A girl and two more boys. It was a full house, and the kids kept Margaret very busy. Well, she was about to get busier.
Starz, The White Princess (2017)
21. She Got A Job
Even though she had five kids on her hands, the King thought Margaret would have time for another job. He appointed her to be a lady-in-waiting for Catherine of Aragon, who had just married the heir to the throne: Arthur, Prince of Wales.
All3 Media, The Spanish Princess (2019– 2020)
22. She Found Stability
Margaret Pole may have been dreading serving as a lady-in-waiting, but she was in for a pleasant surprise. It turned out that Margaret and Catherine had loads in common, and they quickly became besties. Margaret had finally found a stable life. Sadly, fate was not on her side.
All3 Media, The Spanish Princess (2019– 2020)
23. He Was Weak
Margaret’s stable life with Catherine had a time limit. It would only last as long as Catherine’s marriage to the Prince of Wales. Even though the prince was still a teenager, he had a weak constitution. He passed just one year after marrying Catherine and Margaret lost her cushy job.
All3 Media, The Spanish Princess (2019– 2020)
24. She Was All Alone
At least Margaret had her husband to fall back on. Well, that also had a time limit. In 1505, Margaret’s husband Richard passed due to an unnamed illness. She was now a widow with five children to feed, clothe, and care for.
Starz, The White Princess (2017)
25. She Had To Pay
Not only was she left to fend for herself and her kids, Margaret Pole also had to scrounge up the money for her husband's funeral. The king kindly gave her the sum she needed to bury her husband. But there was a catch. Shockingly, the king said it was a loan and she would have to pay it back.
Margaret was now seriously broke.
All3 Media, The Spanish Princess (2019– 2020)
26. She Didn’t Have Enough
What Margaret did have was a small estate and an allowance that came from her father-in-law. The thing was: it wasn’t enough to feed her and her five children. Margaret was going to have to make some heartbreaking decisions.
All3 Media, The Spanish Princess (2019– 2020)
27. She Sent Them Away
Due to her financial strain, Margaret sent her two older sons to live in other houses of nobility. That left her with her daughter Ursula, and her two younger sons Reginald and Geoffrey. Sadly, she still didn’t have enough money, so for Reginald, she got creative.
All3 Media, The Spanish Princess (2019– 2020)
28. She Handed Him Over
Instead of pawning off Reginald to other noble houses, Margaret turned to the church. She handed Reginald over to the church and also handed over all financial responsibility. We’ll soon see that this decision would come back to haunt her.
All3 Media, The Spanish Princess (2019– 2020)
29. She Found A Place
Margaret Pole figured she could survive taking care of her two remaining children. She found a place for them to live and prepared to live out her remaining days as a caring mother. But then, in 1509, something happened that changed everything.
All3 Media, The Spanish Princess (2019– 2020)
30. She Met Up With An Old Friend
Margaret’s best friend Catherine was now once again in need of a lady-in-waiting. You see, after becoming a widow, she turned around and married her deceased husband's brother. This was Henry VIII, and in 1509 he became king.
Margaret must have been over the moon to be back with her bestie. And there was more good news.
All3 Media, The Spanish Princess (2019– 2020)
31. She Was Reunited
Because Margaret was now living in the king’s household, she could bring her oldest son to live with her. So there was a reunion between Margaret and her son Henry. The king also gave Margaret a rather generous allowance. Things were definitely looking up for Margaret—and there was more to come.
All3 Media, The Spanish Princess (2019– 2020)
32. She Wanted It Back
Back when her brother went to the Tower of London, they took away all of his property. Since she was in with the new king, she boldly asked for that property back. While the king made her pay a small sum to get the land back, she did get it.
Margaret had big plans for her land.
Starz, The White Princess (2017)
33. She Decided To Build
By 1517, Margaret was feeling financially comfortable, and she thought it was time to build her own place. But she didn’t just want a house, she wanted a castle. She paid to have Warblington Castle built in Hampshire. Being a landowner had some perks.
Tim Sheerman-Chase, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
34. She Became A Countess
Now that she was the owner of her own castle, she also got a new title. She was now the Countess of Salisbury. This meant she was actively working on administering her estates. Apparently, she did a very good job of it. In 1538, she was number five on the list of the wealthiest peers in England.
Things were looking up for her kids too.
All3 Media, The Spanish Princess (2019– 2020)
35. They Turned Out Alright
Margaret’s oldest son was now Baron Montagu. Her second son Arthur got a position as a courtier and her daughter Ursula married a duke’s son. Reginald, the one she’d left with the church, was now studying abroad on the king’s dime. And last but not least was Geoffrey, who married a woman with money.
All3 Media, The Spanish Princess (2019– 2020)
36. She Was A Governess
With her own children doing well, the king gave Margaret a new challenge. He made her godmother and governess of his baby daughter Mary. While this may sound like a step down from being Countess, it was actually a distinguished placement.
Margaret Pole had never had so many things go right for her at the same time. Sadly, her good luck wouldn’t last.
All3 Media, The Spanish Princess (2019– 2020)
37. He Got Caught Up In A Plot
Margaret’s son Arthur became a courtier and he moved up the ladder very quickly, earning one prestigious position after another. This turned out to be a pretty posh existence…except for one thing. In 1521, his patron—one Edward Stafford—became involved in a plot against the king. When they convicted and executed Stafford, Arthur’s connection to the traitor went under the microscope.
Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons
38. She Was The Second
Thankfully, no one really thought that Arthur had much to do with the plot against the king, so they welcomed him back to court. Crisis averted. Once again, Margaret’s life was becoming more ordered. She was doing well in her role as governess and was getting so close to the child that many saw her as a second mother.
All3 Media, The Spanish Princess (2019– 2020)
39. He Wasn’t Happy
Problems started when King Henry VIII became unhappy with his marriage. For one thing, Catherine had not had the bouncing baby boys that all kings want. The other problem was that Henry had his eye on his sister’s lady-in-waiting, Anne Boleyn. Margaret’s position as governess and lady-in-waiting was in serious jeopardy.
English school, Wikimedia Commons
40. She Wasn’t Afraid
King Henry’s solution to his troubled marriage was to get it annulled. This was something new, and everyone seemed to have an opinion as to whether it was okay or not. Margaret thought it wasn’t okay, and that’s where she made a fatal mistake. She wasn’t afraid to say it out loud.
As it turned out, she should have kept her mouth shut.
All3 Media, The Spanish Princess (2019– 2020)
41. He Started A New One
The Pope wouldn’t let Henry divorce Catherine, so Henry took matters into his own hands. Instead of getting a new pope, he got a new religion. This was the beginning of the Church of England, and Henry was at the head of it.
Henry got his annulment, which snowballed into trouble for Margaret.
All3 Media, The Spanish Princess (2019– 2020)
42. She Was Illegitimate
Henry’s annulment meant that little Mary, Margaret’s godchild, was no longer a “legitimate” daughter of the king. Margaret was once again out of a job. To make things worse, the king asked for Mary’s jewels back.
Now, Margaret had not only suffered a personal insult, but had to bear the way he’d discarded his own daughter. And she’d had enough.
All3 Media, The Spanish Princess (2019– 2020)
43. She Refused
When the King asked for Mary’s jewels, Margaret Pole simply refused. And then she went one step further. She said she wanted to raise Mary as her own daughter and pay for everything herself. It sounded like a good deal for the king, but he refused and called Margaret a fool.
National Portrait Gallery, Wikimedia Commons
44. She Changed Her Mind
Margaret had lost her battle with King Henry, and her health took a downturn. She spent months in bed and when it was all over, she had changed her mind about King Henry. She now accepted Henry’s annulment from Catherine. But things were not okay with her and Henry yet.
All3 Media, The Spanish Princess (2019– 2020)
45. He Called Him Names
Margaret Pole was now saying she supported the King’s annulment—but her son wasn’t. Reginald stirred up some trouble by breaking with the king over his annulment. He then went further and called the king a few names like robber, murderer, and enemy to Christianity.
Reginald was playing with fire.
All3 Media, The Spanish Princess (2019– 2020)
46. She Had To Control Her Son
Margaret had seen firsthand what happened to her family members when they went against the king. And now, because of her son’s behavior, the king wanted to talk to Margaret. In short, He wanted her to deal with her son. Margaret sent Reginald a letter asking him to stop and telling him that she “couldn’t bear the king's wrath”.
There’s a good reason why her letter may have fallen on deaf ears.
All3 Media, The Spanish Princess (2019– 2020)
47. He Didn’t Forgive Her
Remember, Margaret had given Reginald up to the church. Some believe that Reginald had not forgiven his mother for this, so he might not have cared if his mother was facing the wrath of the king. Lucky for Margaret, the king’s wrath was about to fall on someone else.
All3 Media, The Spanish Princess (2019– 2020)
48. She Got Back In
Remember, King Henry had annulled his marriage to Catherine to marry Anne Boleyn. Well, after a few years, those tides turned, and now he wanted to replace Boleyn with Jane Seymour. Many watched in horror as the King had Boleyn executed after just three years of marriage. But Boleyn’s ousting was actually good news for Margaret. They let her back into court.
Showtime, The Tudors (2007–2010)
49. She Was Always On The Edge
Margaret Pole was only let back into court to assist the King’s new wife, Jane Seymour. Her life at court seemed always to be on the brink of disaster, depending entirely on who was by the king’s side and what his mood was. And her misbehaving children made her life even more dangerous.
All3 Media, The Spanish Princess (2019– 2020)
50. He Stirred Up Trouble
Margaret’s son Reginald was not a priest, but in 1537, the pope made him a Cardinal. However, there was a disturbing twist. Reginald had to help organize a revolt called the Pilgrimage of Grace. This revolt was directly against King Henry, and it could only mean trouble for Margaret.
Things got even worse when her other son joined in.
After Sebastiano del Piombo, Wikimedia Commons
51. He Broke Down
Reginald had been writing letters to his brother Geoffrey. Because these letters were about the revolt against the king, they took Geoffrey in for questioning. Geoffrey couldn’t bear the interrogation, so he implicated the man who was at the head of the King’s Church of England.
This ended up being a huge mistake.
Showtime, The Tudors (2007–2010)
52. He Said The Wrong Thing
The man at the head of the Church of England was Henry Courtenay, and he had been friends with the king since childhood. Geoffrey had thrown him under the bus by saying that he also disagreed with the King’s policies. The King was getting angry…and we all know where that leads.
Joos van Cleve, Wikimedia Commons
53. She Got Punished
The King’s first act of anger was to behead his childhood friend Courtenay. But he didn’t stop there. He then had Margaret’s oldest son Henry executed. For Margaret, the punishment was prison. They sent her to Cowdray House, but she wasn’t simply going to serve her time. They had other plans for Margaret.
Clethbridge8, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
54. They Interrogated her
Margaret’s prison was actually the home of William Fitzwilliam. The plan was to interrogate her over three days. Fitzwilliam and Thomas Goodrich, the Bishop of Ely, had the job of questioning Margaret. Apparently, two men were not enough for the job.
Hans Holbein the Younger, Wikimedia Commons
55. She Was Like A Man
After three days of interrogation, what Fitzwilliam and Goodrich found was surprising. They agreed on one thing. They called Margaret “earnest, vehement and precise”. They also noted that her inner strength was more like a man’s than a woman’s.
As it turned out, Margaret also had a strange influence on the entire household.
Showtime, The Tudors (2007–2010)
56. She Had A Strange Effect
Remember, Margaret’s prison was the house of William Fitzwilliam. Well, Fitzwilliam’s wife was so disturbed by Margaret that she had to leave the house. Fitzwilliam himself also wanted her out, saying that “she troubles my mind”.
Showtime, The Tudors (2007–2010)
57. She Lost It All
Somehow Margaret’s son Geoffrey—the one who started all this—received a pardon. Margaret, on the other hand, once again lost all her land and her title. The King gave her estate to his personal secretary, Sir Thomas Wriothesley. Margaret was back to square one.
But what proof did they have that Margaret was guilty?
Showtime, The Tudors (2007–2010)
58. There Was Evidence
Thomas Cromwell, the king’s notorious right-hand man, had evidence that Margaret was not in support of the Church of England. He said that they had found a tunic that had embroidered on it the Five Wounds of Christ. Certainly, this proved that she was still supporting the Catholic Church.
But there may have been a totally different story behind it all.
Hans Holbein the Younger, Wikimedia Commons
59. She Was Set Up
Thomas Cromwell was not always one to do everything by the book—and he may have betrayed Margaret in the worst way. It was quite likely that he hadn’t found the tunic in Margaret’s things. It could be that he had planted it there simply to incriminate her.
Either way, things did not look good for Margaret.
Workshop of Hans Holbein the Younger, Wikimedia Commons
60. She Got The Worst
Margaret Pole had been in and out of trouble with the king for many years now, and now it seemed like he’d had it. He doled out the worst punishment he could think of: execution. It looked like the end of Margaret’s life. And yet it wasn’t.
61. She Reunited
To wait for her execution, Margaret went to the Tower of London. Waiting for execution is no one’s idea of a good time, but there were some perks for Margaret. She met up there with her grandson Henry. Also, there is evidence that life in the tower was not all bad.
Walter Thornbury, Wikimedia Commons
62. He Kept Her Comfortable
Maybe King Henry felt bad for sending Margaret to the tower, because he paid a handsome price to keep her comfortable. In addition to servants and money, he also sent her warm gowns and shoes. She even got a chance for some sweet revenge.
Showtime, The Tudors (2007–2010)
63. She Got Revenge
The man who was mostly responsible for sending Margaret to the tower, Thomas Cromwell, also fell out of favor with the King. While Margaret was enjoying her warm gowns and shoes in the tower, Cromwell met his sad end. The king had him executed in 1540.
Sadly, Margaret was next.
After Hans Holbein the Younger, Wikimedia Commons
64. She Got A Message
Two and a half years after entering the Tower of London, Margaret—now 67 years old—got a message. This was on May 27, 1541. The message simply said that she had less than an hour to live. This was it, the end of her life.
Showtime, The Tudors (2007–2010)
65. Her Fate Was In His Hands
The tower had a chief executioner who had the heartless job of removing people’s heads for a living. At this time, he was busy dealing with the rebels in the north. To take his place, there was a young man who didn’t have the experience necessary for the job. Margaret’s fate was in his unsteady hands.
Showtime, The Tudors (2007–2010)
66. She Taunted Him
Margaret Pole was not about to take her punishment lying down, so she refused to put her head on the provided block. She said that only traitors put their heads there, and she was not a traitor. She even taunted the executioner, saying that he would have to try and get her head any way he could.
Showtime, The Tudors (2007–2010)
67. He Missed
At this point, all hopes for Margaret getting a quick and relatively painless end to her life were over. The combination of Margaret’s taunts and the inexperience of the executioner meant that the first swing of the axe got her in the shoulder instead of the neck.
What happened next was right out of a horror movie.
Showtime, The Tudors (2007–2010)
68. It Was A Horror Show
Because this young executioner lacked the necessary skill to do the job quickly, Margaret suffered horribly. In the end it took eleven swings of the axe to get Margaret’s head separated from her body.
Good Old Pete, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
69. The Family Suffered
Margaret Pole had given her life fighting for the Catholic Church and her family had also suffered. Her son Henry also lost his life for the cause, and so did her grandson Thomas Stafford. Her son Geoffrey ended up in prison for treason, where he eventually passed.
All3 Media, The Spanish Princess (2019– 2020)
70. She Got Recognized
The Catholic Church eventually recognized how much suffering Margaret experienced just for standing up against King Henry and his Church of England. In 1886, Pope Leo XIII made her Blessed Margaret Pole, a martyr for the church.
01.jpg){kind=link}
